Unidirectional ratchet wrench for vehicles

ABSTRACT

A hand held unidirectional socket ratchet wrench and more particularly to a wrench useful for securing in place or unscrewing the nuts or lag screws which reliably secure vehicle wheels to the hub, comprises a commercially standard unidirectional ratchet with a complimentary mating means for fitting to a desired handle. The unidirectional ratchet is removably, securely and solidly affixed approximately midway to a square shaft. The square shaft is provided with a socket drive in both ends, said socket drives accepting commercially available sockets. The fitted handle for the complimentary mating ratcheting means which is securely hinged to said mating ratcheting means and provided with a locking means during use. The hinge, when unlocked allows handle to be folded, and is a circular rod of reasonable length with a slot and slot key, on free end which is opposite the hinged end. The slot and slot key on said end of handle, allows easy attachment of a handle extension if so required. Functions of said handle extension are to pry off hub cap or wheel cover, and when attached to handle, allow more leverage to be applied in removal of nuts or lag screws.

slam States Patent 11 1 De Haven 1 1 UNIDIRECTIONAL lRATCi-IET WRENCH roa VEHICLES [76] Inventor: Lyman De Haven, RR. 1, Delmar,

Iowa 52037 [22] Filed: Dec. 4, 1972 [21] Appl. No.2 311,661

[52] U.S. Cl. 81/60, 81/177 A, 81/177 UJ, 7/1 E [51] Int. Cl B251) 13/46, B25f H00 [58] Field of Search... 81/60, 177 R, 177 A, 177 E, 81/177 ST, 177 UJ; 7/1 E, l G

Primary ExaminerOthell M. Simpson Assistant Examiner-James G. Smith 1111 aaiwav ,iune 4, 1974 1571 I ABSTRACT A hand held unidirectional socket ratchet wrench and more particularly to a wrench useful for securing in place or unscrewing the nuts or lag screws which reliably secure vehicle wheels to the hub, comprises a commercially standard unidirectional ratchet with a complimentary mating means for fitting to a desired handle. The unidirectional ratchet is removably, securely and solidly affixed approximately midway to a square shaft. The square shaft is provided with a socket drive in both ends, said socket drives accepting commercially available sockets, The fitted handle for the complimentary mating ratcheting means which is securely hinged to said mating ratcheting means and provided with a locking means during use. The hinge, when unlocked allows handle to be folded, and is a circular rod of reasonable length with a slot and slot key, on free end which is opposite the hinged end. The I slot and slot key on said end of handle, allows easy attachment of a handle extension if so required. Functions of said handle extension are to pry off hub cap or wheel cover, and when attached to handle, allow more leverage to be applied in removal of nuts or lag screws.

1 Claim, 3 Drawing Figures UNIDEREC'I'IONAL RATCHET WRENCH FOR VEHICLES BACKGROUND OF INVENTION 1. Field of Invention This invention relates to a hand held wrench and more particularly to wrenches useful in reliably securing in place of unscrewing the nuts or lag screws which secure a vehicle wheel to the hub, such as in automobiles.

2. Description of Prior Art It is a fact that few wrenches and devices are now used in removing, replacing and tightening nuts or lag screws which secure a vehicle wheel to the corresponding hub of a vehicle such as an automobile, truck and trailer. Air operated wrenches are used mostly in service garages where the vehicle being worked on is raised for accessibility. The particular area that deserves attention is when changing the vehicle wheel on the road such as flat tires, damaged tires, etc. One wrench used for this purpose is a bent rod with one size hex socket forged in or formed at one end and since the bend is not a full 90 but rather an obtuse angle, there is a great tendency for said bent wrench to slip away from the nut or lag screw being loosened or tightened. Other wrenches provide T handles and both hands are required to operate such wrenches with T handles. To escape citing a litany of each wrench used in changing vehicle wheels on the road, it would be time saving and appropriate to say that wrenches and devices, or means for removing, replacing and tightening nuts or lag screws in securing wheels to the hub of a vehicle are very cumbersome and frustrating to use.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is through continued frustration and difficulty in changing damaged tires on the road that precipitated the present invention.

It is one object of the invention to provide a hand held wrench or device that is very convenient and easy to use with one hand.

It is also an object of the invention to provide a hand held wrench or device that can be used without stooping or squatting.

It is a further object of the invention to permit a user to stay in one position and exert a minimal amount of effort in one direction only whether removing or tightening the nuts which secure a wheel to a corresponding vehicle.

It is yet another object to provide a time saving and effortless means of loosening or removing and replacing or tightening nuts which secure wheels to a wheel hub when changing flat tires or damaged tires.

Further objects and advantages will become clear as we continue the description with the aid of drawings attached.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the square shaft. FIG. 3 is a partial section athandle pivot.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The invention, designated by the numeral 10, includes a circular rod handle ll of a reasonable length, a square shaft 24 with socket drive 25, on one end, and on opposite end, socket drive 27 and a unidirectional ratchet assembly with pawl 17, removably and solidly affixed approximately midway on the square shaft 24,

said handle lll havinga diametric slot 31 and continuing into a ninety degree partial key slot 32 on one side and a ninety degree partial key slot 33 on the opposite side. The other end of said handle ll is foldably and permanently hinged to the handle attachingmeans 22 of unidirectional ratchet assembly 17 by means of pivot pin 20. Movable locking sleeve 23 when lifted from resting position on ratchet assembly housing, allows handle ll to be folded in one direction parallel with the longitudinal axis of square shaft 24, said unidirectional ratchet assembly 17 has an integral fixed ratchet gear 16 on a solid frame 16a with square hole which nicely accepts corresponding size square shaft 24. The square shaft with integral socket drives 25 and 27 on opposite ends wherein said socket drives with spring loaded steel balls 26 and 28 respectively will accept standard size sockets l3 and 15. The ratchet assembly 17 is positioned approximately midway on the shaft 24, bounded by the peripheral cut outs 29 and 30, wherein said socket assembly is removably and securely held in position by retaining rings. One retaining ring 19 securely snaps in place into the peripheral cut out 30 and lightly pushing against the side enclosure 18 of said ratchet assembly l7 and another retaining ring snaps in position into peripheral cut out 29 and lightly bearing against the other side of the side enclosure 18 of said ratchet assembly 17.

The arrangement 10 will then permit a user to stand on one side of invention and depending on whether he is loosening or tightening a nut which secures a wheel to the hub, will employ sockets 13 or 15 in the same arcuate motion.

If for some reason, additional leverage is necessary, the pry off device 35, which is a reasonably thick wall tubing, flattened on one end in such a manner that one tapering flat side 38 is concave, the opposite side 37 being convex and forming a tip 39 which is used for prying off hub caps or wheel covers and consisting of a diametral pin 36 held rigidly in place at a distance from the round end, whereby the inside diameter of said tubing fits the outside diameter of said handle 11, is slipped over said handle, with pin 36 loosely passing through slot 31 and then the pry off device 35 is rotated in the direction of said key slots 32 and 33. This prohibits the pry off device 35, from slipping off during use and forming an extension handle.

After use, the pry off device 35 can be easily left in position or detached by raising sleeve 23 to stop pin 21 and the handle 11 can now be folded parallel with the longitudinal axis of said shaft 24, hence occupying minimal space either in a tool box or trunk of vehicle.

I claim:

1. A hand held unidirectional ratchet wrench adapted for use with vehicles in a manner to fasten and unfasten nuts or lag screws which secure vehicle wheels to the vehicle hubs and also adapted for use in prying off hub caps or wheel covers, the tool comprising:

a longitudinally elongated cylindrical handle member having an outer end and an inner end, a slot extending diametrically through said outer end and extending longitudinally inwardly of said handle, the opposite terminal end of each of the longitudinal extensions of said diametric slot terminating in oppositely directed partial key type slots defining a plane substantially normal to the axis of the handle with each of said slots extending partially about the circumference of said handle, said inner end having affixed thereto a boss member which projects axially outwardly therefrom, an aperture extending through said boss member;

unidirectional ratchet assembly including a disc shaped ratchet gear having ratchet teeth formed about a surface thereof and adapted for engagement with a pawl affixed to an interior surface of a housing surrounding said ratchet assembly whereby said ratchet gear is rotatable in one direction relative to said pawl with said pawl preventing rotation of said ratchet gear in an opposite direction, said housing being of a cylindrical shape having cylindrical side wall'surfaces and opposite closed end surfaces, a pair of axially aligned circumferaily spaced apart flange members affixed to said cylindrical side wall surface and projecting outwardly therefrom, said flange members each having an opening extending therethrough, said openings being in axial alignment with each other;

said projecting boss member on said handle adapted to be received between said flange members on said ratchet gear assembly housing with said boss aperture in axial alignment with said flange openings, a pivot pin inserted axially through said aligned openings and aperture for pivotally retaining said handle to said ratchet housing with said handle being pivotable relative thereto in a plane taken radially from the axis of said ratchet housing;

an elongated cylindrically shaped open ended sleeve member having an interior bore extending therethrough of a diameter adapted to be freely slidingly received in a telescopic manner about said handle, said sleeve member movable between an operable locking position where said bore overlies said handle and said ratchet assembly flange members to retain said handle rigidly projecting radially from said housing, said sleeve member movable axially of said handle to a position spaced from said housing flange members to permit said handle to be pivoted about said pivot pin to a storage position where said handle lies substantially parallel to the axis of said housing;

pin member affixed to the exterior surface of said handle spaced inwardly from said boss member a distance to limit the inward movement of said sleeve member to determine the maximum telescopic position of said sleeve member over said handle when free of said flange members;

an elongated shaft having a rectangular cross-section,

the opposite ends of said shaft terminating in substantially identical rectangularly shaped drive sockets of a cross-section area less than the crosssection area of said shaft with each drive member defining a shoulder with said shaft and projecting outwardly from the axis of said shaft, each socket drive member being of a rectangular configuration, each socket drive member including a spring loaded ball member projecting outwardly of a side surface thereof and adapted to be depressed inwardly of said drive member to retain a socket thereon, a pair of axially spaced apart annular grooves defined in said shaft intermediate the ends thereof and dividing the shaft into a central portion 4, and opposite end portions, said central portion being of a longitudinal length substantially equal to the axial length of said ratchet assembly housing;

disposed concentrically and in axial alignment in opposite end walls of said ratchet housing a rectangular opening extending axially through said housing concentric with said ratchet gear and of a size and configuration adapted to receive said shaft therethrough with said shaft central portion disposed inwardly of said housing and said shaft end portion projecting outwardly from opposite ends of said housing;

a pair of resilient retaining ring members each having an opening in the body thereof, each of said ring members adapted to be received in one of said grooves in said shaft with said ring members retaining therebetween on said shaft said housing of said ratchet assembly with said ring members bearing against opposite end wall surfaces of said housing;

' a pair of drive sockets, each socket adapted to be received on one of said socket drives of said shaft and releasably retained thereon by said associated spring loaded ball engaging a detent in said sockets in the conventional manner, each of said sockets opening in opposite directions from said shaft;

a hub cap pry-off and handle extension member comprised of an axially elongated cylindrical tube member having a first end and a second end, said first end of said tube member having an interior diameter greater than the exterior diameter of said handle and adapted to be received over said outer end thereof in telescoping relationship, a diametrically extending pin member affixed to said pry-off member inwardly of said first end thereof and extending diametrically through said bore thereof, said pin being of a diameter adpated to be received in said diametric slot in said handle outer end with said pin adapted to be engaged in said slot when said first end is telescopically placed over said handle outer end with said pin engaging the partial key slot openings at the bottom of said diametric slot with rotation of said pry-off member about its longitudinal axis effecting the locking of said pin in said key slots to detachably retain said pry-off member to said handle, said second end of said pryoff member being flattened in a tapering manner from a position inwardly thereof to a position at the second end thereof defining a tip of the pry-off member, said flattened second end portion being formed with oneflattened side of a concave configuration with the side opposite thereof being formed in a flattened convex configuration, said concave and said convex sides having a common juncture point at said tip of said pry-off member at said second end thereof with said flattened end of said pryoff member adapted for use in the prying off of hub caps, wheel covers, and the like; and

whereby said sleeve member provides for rotation of said handle member between an inoperable storage position parallel to the axis of said shaft and an operable position extending radially from said shaft, with increased torque and leverage being provided by said pry-off member being detachably attached to said handle for use of the tool, and being readily detached therefrom for purposes of storage of the tool and use separately of the pry-off member. l l 

1. A hand held unidirectional ratchet wrench adapted for use with vehicles in a manner to fasten and unfasten nuts or lag screws which secure vehicle wheels to the vehicle hubs and also adapted for use in prying off hub caps or wheel covers, the tool comprising: a longitudinally elongated cylindrical handle member having an outer end and an inner end, a slot extending diametrically through said outer end and extending longitudinally inwardly of said handle, the opposite terminal end of each of the longitUdinal extensions of said diametric slot terminating in oppositely directed partial key type slots defining a plane substantially normal to the axis of the handle with each of said slots extending partially about the circumference of said handle, said inner end having affixed thereto a boss member which projects axially outwardly therefrom, an aperture extending through said boss member; a unidirectional ratchet assembly including a disc shaped ratchet gear having ratchet teeth formed about a surface thereof and adapted for engagement with a pawl affixed to an interior surface of a housing surrounding said ratchet assembly whereby said ratchet gear is rotatable in one direction relative to said pawl with said pawl preventing rotation of said ratchet gear in an opposite direction, said housing being of a cylindrical shape having cylindrical side wall surfaces and opposite closed end surfaces, a pair of axially aligned circumferally spaced apart flange members affixed to said cylindrical side wall surface and projecting outwardly therefrom, said flange members each having an opening extending therethrough, said openings being in axial alignment with each other; said projecting boss member on said handle adapted to be received between said flange members on said ratchet gear assembly housing with said boss aperture in axial alignment with said flange openings, a pivot pin inserted axially through said aligned openings and aperture for pivotally retaining said handle to said ratchet housing with said handle being pivotable relative thereto in a plane taken radially from the axis of said ratchet housing; an elongated cylindrically shaped open ended sleeve member having an interior bore extending therethrough of a diameter adapted to be freely slidingly received in a telescopic manner about said handle, said sleeve member movable between an operable locking position where said bore overlies said handle and said ratchet assembly flange members to retain said handle rigidly projecting radially from said housing, said sleeve member movable axially of said handle to a position spaced from said housing flange members to permit said handle to be pivoted about said pivot pin to a storage position where said handle lies substantially parallel to the axis of said housing; a pin member affixed to the exterior surface of said handle spaced inwardly from said boss member a distance to limit the inward movement of said sleeve member to determine the maximum telescopic position of said sleeve member over said handle when free of said flange members; an elongated shaft having a rectangular cross-section, the opposite ends of said shaft terminating in substantially identical rectangularly shaped drive sockets of a cross-section area less than the cross-section area of said shaft with each drive member defining a shoulder with said shaft and projecting outwardly from the axis of said shaft, each socket drive member being of a rectangular configuration, each socket drive member including a spring loaded ball member projecting outwardly of a side surface thereof and adapted to be depressed inwardly of said drive member to retain a socket thereon, a pair of axially spaced apart annular grooves defined in said shaft intermediate the ends thereof and dividing the shaft into a central portion and opposite end portions, said central portion being of a longitudinal length substantially equal to the axial length of said ratchet assembly housing; disposed concentrically and in axial alignment in opposite end walls of said ratchet housing a rectangular opening extending axially through said housing concentric with said ratchet gear and of a size and configuration adapted to receive said shaft therethrough with said shaft central portion disposed inwardly of said housing and said shaft end portion projecting outwardly from opposite ends of said housing; a pair of resilient retaining ring members each having an opening in the body thereof, each of said ring members adapted to be recEived in one of said grooves in said shaft with said ring members retaining therebetween on said shaft said housing of said ratchet assembly with said ring members bearing against opposite end wall surfaces of said housing; a pair of drive sockets, each socket adapted to be received on one of said socket drives of said shaft and releasably retained thereon by said associated spring loaded ball engaging a detent in said sockets in the conventional manner, each of said sockets opening in opposite directions from said shaft; a hub cap pry-off and handle extension member comprised of an axially elongated cylindrical tube member having a first end and a second end, said first end of said tube member having an interior diameter greater than the exterior diameter of said handle and adapted to be received over said outer end thereof in telescoping relationship, a diametrically extending pin member affixed to said pry-off member inwardly of said first end thereof and extending diametrically through said bore thereof, said pin being of a diameter adpated to be received in said diametric slot in said handle outer end with said pin adapted to be engaged in said slot when said first end is telescopically placed over said handle outer end with said pin engaging the partial key slot openings at the bottom of said diametric slot with rotation of said pry-off member about its longitudinal axis effecting the locking of said pin in said key slots to detachably retain said pry-off member to said handle, said second end of said pry-off member being flattened in a tapering manner from a position inwardly thereof to a position at the second end thereof defining a tip of the pry-off member, said flattened second end portion being formed with one flattened side of a concave configuration with the side opposite thereof being formed in a flattened convex configuration, said concave and said convex sides having a common juncture point at said tip of said pry-off member at said second end thereof with said flattened end of said pry-off member adapted for use in the prying off of hub caps, wheel covers, and the like; and whereby said sleeve member provides for rotation of said handle member between an inoperable storage position parallel to the axis of said shaft and an operable position extending radially from said shaft, with increased torque and leverage being provided by said pry-off member being detachably attached to said handle for use of the tool, and being readily detached therefrom for purposes of storage of the tool and use separately of the pry-off member. 